Aligned human microvessels formed in 3D fibrin gel by constraint of gel contraction

•Highly interconnected microvessels were formed in fibrin gel using defined medium.•The microvessels were highly aligned via constrained cell-induced gel compaction.•Minimal compaction occurred in defined medium compared to medium with serum.•Defined medium followed by medium with serum yielded the most aligned microvessels.

This study aimed to form microvessels in fibrin gels, which is of interest both for studying the fundamental cell–matrix interactions as well as for tissue engineering purposes, and to align the microvessels, which would provide natural inlet and outlet sides for perfusion. The data reported here demonstrate the formation of highly interconnected microvessels in fibrin gel under defined medium conditions and the ability to align them using two methods, both of which involved anchoring the gel at both ends to constrain the cell-induced compaction. The first method used only defined medium and resulted in moderate alignment. The second method used defined and serum-containing media sequentially to achieve high levels of microvessel alignment.